


Sea of Bitterness

by localcynic



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Hurt No Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:22:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28997433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/localcynic/pseuds/localcynic
Summary: Marlis Palen, like so many others, lost everything when Wall Maria fell. Alone, angry, and bitter, Marlis enlists in the military's 104th Training Corp determined to understand why Wall Maria had to fall. During her three years of training, Marlis reluctantly tutors Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover in exchange for lessons in combat and ODM training. A tense relationship between Marlis and Reiner Braun forms that gets smothered as quickly as it was ignited.
Relationships: Reiner Braun/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. reiner braun mood playlist and disclaimers

**Author's Note:**

> a/n: i do not own the universe or characters from Attack on Titan | Shingeki no Kyojin. all characters and plot from the manga/anime belong to Hajime Isayama. however, Marlis Palen and all other original characters belong to me.

reiner braun's playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5iKprTokbPBJRJXqvameCU?si=mDcc0Hy7Tby_ohx9hlHBIg

disclaimer: this work will probably get slow updates because i want to follow the original plot pretty closely. i'm also a third-year university student so i write when i can. but i'm really looking forward to writing this because my reiner braun brain rot is at an all-time high. ◟̽◞̽


	2. To You, 2000 Years From Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the end. At 11 years old, Marlis recounts unpleasant memories of her father and witnesses the terror of the titans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm actually surprised that i finished this as early as i did, but i'm gonna follow the manga chapters except when i explain Marlis more. the chapters that follow the manga chapters will inevitably be shorter because of the lack of canon dialogue. hope y'all enjoy it!

The bells mounted on the tower nearest the gate clang, reverberating inside Marlis’ head. “The Survey Corp returned,” she notes. She paid them no mind. Her sister Jana was lost. 

“JANA!” 

Marlis runs through the crowd, weaving through the throngs of people in brown and white. It’s nearly impossible to spot the 11-year-old girl in the mass of market place goers. However, her sister’s curly ash brown hair was distinguishable at eye level. Marlis slides behind two children carrying firewood; ignoring the slow death march of hooves echoing around the street. She spares one glance over her shoulder, catching the scene of a tall soldier with dark hair crying on his knees in front of an old woman. The commotion thankfully dispersed the crowd and the Survey Corps’ wagons disappeared into their Shiganshina headquarters. Marlis finally caught up to Jana in front of a stall selling bread. “How predictable,” she thinks. Jana had run ahead of her sister hoping to catch the baker’s son on his break. 

“Jana, you could have at least told me you were going to see Anton. I wouldn’t have said anything to Mom,” Marlis explains, slightly out of breath. 

“You would too! You’re always trying to get on Mom’s good side.” 

“Just because I try to follow the rules doesn’t mean I’ll stop you from breaking them. I just won’t interfere when Father wants to deal with you,” Marlis threatens cooly. 

Jana swallows, a lump in her throat forming at the mention of her father. The anxiety in her eyes overflows, and the girls silently acknowledge the other’s rationale. Marlis had learned the hard way not to break her parent’s rules. Their father is a teacher at the school in this section of the district closest to the wall. He took enormous pride in being counted as one of the few intellectuals venerated amongst the likes of great men like Grisha Yeager. He knew more about the Walls than any member of The Church of the Walls but hoarded the knowledge. Forever holding the forbidden knowledge, given to him by King Fritz himself, over the heads of his wife and children. Marlis had attempted many times to secretly read the journals he had in his office, the ones that Marlis and Jana were forbidden to ever discuss in public. When Marlis started school, when the reading had become easy and she thirsted for unattainable knowledge, she waited until her father had left the house on an errand and snuck into his study. Before she could even locate the books, her father returned. When he found Marlis in his study, his normally haughty ocean blue eyes clouded over like a thunderstorm full of rage and hatred. His hand was raised before Marlis could run. Blow after blow landed on her ribs. He was too smart to strike her face. After his tirade finally ceased, he grabbed Marlis by the arm and dragged her out of the study. Marlis’ small feet dragged along the rough wooden floors, knees scraping occasionally on loose nails. When they made it to the kitchen, her father threw her at the feet of her mother. Jana watched fearfully from behind the safety of their mother’s skirt. 

“What have I said about not being in my study?” Her father seethed, every breath punctuated with unadulterated rage. 

Marlis did not tremble or cower in fear. Her father was a cornered, prideful animal; Marlis thought he was pathetic. A weak man clinging to the only source of power he had in a world he had no control over. Jana began to cry, loud wet sobs of “Don’t hurt her...please no,” filled the Palen’s cramped kitchen. 

Their mother smoothed Jana’s curls and cooed, “Let your father handle it, baby, it’ll be okay.” 

Marlis watched her father retreat back into the office and scoffed. 

“I hope you’ve learned your lesson,” lectured her mother. 

Marlis' face set in a permanent scowl. “You can’t learn from animals.” Jana gasped and her mother went to raise her hand to Malis, but she was already out the door. Marlis ran down the street as far as her short legs would carry her, bumping into pedestrians, yelling meaningless apologies over her shoulder until she reached the edge of town. It was peaceful here. Something about it made her feel grounded, at ease. Lying back near the giant tree, Marlis closed her eyes and tried to imagine what the world looked like beyond the walls. Was there just more of the same, or was the whole world waiting for her? As the sun disappeared over the wall, Marlis trudged back home, boots making almost no noise on the cobblestone streets. Hardly anyone was out now, it was too dark, better to be at home in front of a welcoming hearth. When she finally arrived, she went straight to her shared room. Flopping onto her bed over the dark green blanket with her dress and boots still on. 

“You know they're going to punish you in the morning right,” croaked Jana from the other side of the room. 

“It was worth it. They can’t keep me here for long. Father can’t protect his secrets forever.” 

Snapping out of their collective remembrance, Marlis and Jana begin the walk back to their home. Anton comes bolting out of the shop, “Jana! Wait!” He makes it to the middle of the street before stopping in front of them. Admittedly, Marlis understands why Jana likes him. He's tall for their age, with pretty dark hair, and already has muscles from throwing around bags of flour. Jana’s face instantly brightens. Marlis shuffles her feet, feeling awkward around Jana and Anton’s banter. The two prattle on about nonsensical things, when Anton invites her to join their family for dinner, which Jana accepts without thinking. 

Marlis start to remind her about their mother’s rule, “Jana I-” 

Suddenly, a rumbling shakes the ground, roof tiles slip off the stalls and clatter against the cobblestone. A flash of yellow and orange strikes just outside the wall. “Lighting”, Marlis thinks to herself. She searches the sky for storm clouds, but there isn’t a single one in sight. The only thing clouding the vivid blue is a column of smoke rising from outside the wall. She quickly revises her theory, “Maybe the Garrison accidentally started a fire with a stray cannonball?” Before she can find a reasonable explanation, the smoke clears revealing the head of a titan peering over the wall. The city stopped moving, the collective breath of the entire crowd fell silent, mouths open, eyes widened in fear. The titan had the face of a corpse: cold dead eyes and no skin. Its teeth were exposed, bared in a horrible grimace, like it was disgusted by the sight of the occupants tucked away behind the walls. A pit formed in Marlis’ stomach, but she couldn’t move, she couldn’t swallow, she couldn’t even breathe. Before she could react, the colossal titan’s foot had shattered open the gate. The terror of being dominated by the titans had finally suffocated the entire district.


End file.
